Hey All!

I'm putting together a flyer that I give the customer to look over while I put together a "Pricing Worksheet" and was wanting to start a discussion on this... I will post the final flyer when finished for all to have/use as well.

One section would be...

Added benefits:
We add a special polymer to our cleaning detergent that encapsulates any sticky oily residue that may be left sticking to your carpet fibers. This polymer will crystallize, turn to dust, and be removed during your next vacuuming. This is an added benefit you don't normally get with steam cleaning. By removing the sticky oily residue from your carpet fibers, your carpets will stay cleaner longer.

The flyer would basically educate the customer on what VLM cleaning is, benefits, and what to expect from us, etc.

This all comes due to my helper telling the customer that the polymer encapsulates "DIRT" that will be vacuumed later by you. I lost this job shortly after which was a $800 residential that the customer had already signed the invoice and we already started the cleaning 2 hours in the job!!! Anyways, I dont wanna go there anymore...

Thanks!

What happens when you have to HWE the carpets?

One of the most important things I have learned is sell clean not method.

Educate your employee, customers just hear just so much. Sell the benefits of your business, sell clean. Every system HWE, Dry, Low Moisture have pros and cons if you start explaining them your confusing your customers. When your customers have their cars fixed they don't care what kind of scope was used, tools used etc. they just want a dependable repair.

Sell your system as Low Moisture, market the benefits low Moisture provides. Customers want to know "whats in it for me?"

Other than what David and Jeff have explained....if you start selling equipment/methods it comes across as if you are begging or being desperate for the work.

Clean the carpet, than tell them..."the more you vacuum the better it will look, since you are maintaining your investment", most people do that already. It's pure common sense no need to get into polymers and crystalization.

I totally agree with what Bill said above...

Clean the carpet, then tell them..."the more you vacuum the better it will look, since you are maintaining your investment", most people do that already. It's pure common sense. No need to get into polymers and crystallization.

Sell them on results i.e. CLEAN CARPET. There's absolutely no reason to belabor your "method" with them. Emphasize the results and the great experience they can expect working with your company. Highlight your guarantee. Demonstrate that you're a true professional. You can mention your cleaning processes briefly. But try to keep the "tech talk" to a minimum and you will be more successful in your approach. You might notice that we kept "tech talk" to an absolute minimum in the CMS program --- it simply is not needed.

Do you ask your mechanic what brand of wrenches he plans to use to fix your car? Do you ask the restauranteur if he'll be cooking your dinner on a 6-burner range or an 8-burner range? Who cares! All any of us are hoping for are good RESULTS when we make a transaction. We're looking for a positive service experience at a reasonable price. Your customers are looking for that too.






Rick Gelinas

Don't use the term "turns to dust"...Dust has a negative connotation whether used in commercial or residential cleaning...

Joe

Perhaps I should not even mention that their is any encapsulation. Just clean... PERIOD! To me the encapsulation and removal of sticky oily residue is an added benefit that I want to tell the customer about, but the custy is perhaps looking at this as a negative or is getting confused. I just DO NOT want my past experience to happen ever again and to inform/educate the custy.

Guess I'll drive on and not push the crystallizing properties of the detergent to residentials, but simply let the custy be ecstatic about the results!

...Gotta also realize that some customers just wont buy into the benefits and results of low moisture cleaning!

Thanks everyone! Learned a LOT from this past experience.

Sometimes it's all in our head what clients will think of what we do...deep down we can't pin point whats in their head...but the bottom line is that they called you to clean their carpets.